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For example, temperature increase by 1.5–2.1 percent across the Nile Basin over the next 30–40 years could change the region from semi-arid to arid, significantly reducing the land usable for agriculture. In addition, changes in land use can increase demands on soil water and thereby increase aridity. [6]
Aridification is the process of a region becoming increasingly arid, or dry.It refers to long term change, [1] rather than seasonal variation. It is often measured as the reduction of average soil moisture content.
Aridity is different from drought because aridity is permanent whereas drought is temporary. [1] A number of aridity indices have been proposed (see below); these indicators serve to identify, locate or delimit regions that suffer from a deficit of available water, a condition that can severely affect the effective use of the land for such ...
Desertification is a gradual process of increased soil aridity.Desertification has been defined in the text of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities."
There is a significantly greater proportion of drylands in developing countries (72%), and the proportion increases with aridity: almost 100% of all hyper-arid lands are in the developing world. Nevertheless, the United States , Australia , and several countries in Southern Europe also contain significant dryland areas.
Across Africa, aridity has led to a 12% plunge in GDP, partly driven by degradation of arable land. From 17% to 22% of current crop production is projected to be lost in sub-Saharan Africa by mid ...
An image showing a barren, dry landscape with cracks on the ground, indicative of desertification in Africa Semi-arid Niger is at risk for further desertification. Desertification in Africa is a form of land degradation that involves the conversion of productive land into desert or arid areas.
Aridity increased, with the Ghaggar-Hakra River retracting its reach towards the foothills of the Himalayas, [62] [65] [66] leading to erratic and less-extensive floods, which made inundation agriculture less sustainable. Aridification reduced the water supply enough to cause the civilisation's demise, and to scatter its population eastward.